A Fire So Bright
by DanteTheRedFlame
Summary: A dark lord of another dimension seeks to amuse himself through the struggles of the greates warriors from the dimensions. Inuyasha and the gang are dragged into it, and must fight or be killed by the master of shadows.


A Fire So Bright  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that will be mentioned in the fic. This is not just another crappy "Dark Tournament" fic that seems to spring up every five minutes and so please treat it as it is, a work of fiction. Also, I would be glad to hear if I made any spelling mistakes, but will NOT be glad to hear how you think a character should speak/act/think. IF you are actually writing this fic, than you can do that. But since I'm the one who's writing, lay off.  
  
A darkened room. Indistinct shadows form images that could be furniture or something else entirely. The gloom seems as much a part of the décor as carpeting or tables. The only distinct shape is a desk, behind which sits a man. There is no definable way to see him. All that can be told from him is that he is powerful, very powerful indeed. It could be the atmosphere that contributes to the feeling of unease. Suddenly, there is light. The shape of the man is still indistinct, as though the shadows themselves do his bidding. From a speakerphone on the desk, a voice comes.  
  
"Sir, the preparations have been finished. Your idea is now going to be reality." The voice was clear, cutting through the room's atmosphere.  
  
"Excellent. Bring those I specified here. Some will need...repairs. All must learn what is to become of them." Those words came as if from the nether region of Hell itself, chilling and without care.  
  
"KAZE NO KIZU!"  
  
With that shout, the Wound of the Wind was broken. Inuyasha, the hanyou on a quest to kill the insidious Naraku, was fighting once again. With that cry, he leapt into the air and swung the Tetsaiga with all his might, the force of the blow rippling the air above and beyond the Kaze no Kizu's normal effect. The beast he was fighting, a horrible Oni with pulsating black skin, screamed in pain as the waves of energy cascaded into it. The arcs of energy cut through its torso, and soon black blood and ichor was flowing freely from the wound. At that moment, Inuyasha landed and immediately fell into a defensive crouch, the Tetsaiga held before him in a crude guard.  
  
"How'd ya like that, bastard," he spat out. "Even if you did dodge the first time, you won't make it a second."  
  
With those words he charged forward, running with the Tetsaiga held behind him. He leapt over a lumbering strike from the oni's brawny arm, and slashed across its bicep, tracing a deep cut and eliciting another bellow of pain.  
  
"He just doesn't want to admit to himself that he missed," says Kagome, watching from the edge of the battle. "Besides, he needs to build confidence after letting Naraku get away again."  
  
"Yes, Kagome-sama," replied Miroku. The monk was wearing his usual attire and leaning on his staff, as if to express his boredom about the fight. "This is the twentieth demon he's fought in the last two days. He must really be ashamed."  
  
"HEY! I HEARD THAT!" Yelling to get above the din of the battle, Inuyasha fixed Miroku with a dirty glare and was promptly whacked in the face by the oni he was fighting. Turning back to the oni, he yelled, "When the hell did I say I was done with you!!! Fuck the slow method! KAZE NO KIZU!!"  
  
Already weak from the numerous slashes delivered during the fight and the previous Kaze no Kizu, the oni was battered to the ground by the three arcs of energy. It let out a death keen, and lay twitching on the ground. Glancing at his companions, Inuyasha wiped the Tetsaiga on the oni's skin, saw it get dirtier, shrugged and sheathed it anyway. He then walked over to the rest of the group.  
  
"What the hell do you mean by saying that I'm ashamed? I could kill that bastard anytime I wanted." With those curt words, he walked off to be alone.  
  
Soon the group was on their way again, walking along the never-ending path to fighting Naraku. Inuyasha was wearing his customary kimono, bright red and spattered with the bodily fluids of at least eight demons. Walking a short ways off were Miroku and Sango, still wearing her demon exterminating clothing, although Inuyasha still insisted on killing everything that crossed their path himself. Trailing behind them was Kagome on her bike, still wearing her green and white sailor-fuku, with Shippou riding in the basket. The air was rather light-hearted despite the recent battles, both the failed attempt at killing Naraku and the various random demon slayings. As they walked along, a strange man appeared on the center of the path.  
  
"Excuse me, but are you all the traveling group of Inuyasha the hanyou, Kagome the miko, Miroku the monk and Sango the demon exterminator?" The man seemed bored, as if this was one long arduous job for him. He was dressed in an indistinct black robe which left his head exposed. His main identifying feature was a very greasy and unkempt mullet, which shined in the sun.  
  
"Yeah, we are. Now what the hell do you want?"  
  
"Good." The man suddenly looked interested and relieved, as if this task suddenly became more exciting. "Now come with me."  
  
"What!! Who do you think you are?" With those words Inuyasha put his hand on the Tetsaiga and growled low in his throat.  
  
"I am an emissary for Daren, a very powerful lord. He needs you to exterminate a demon plaguing his household."  
  
"Bullshit. There's no way any 'lord' would have a gaijin name."  
  
"Ah well. I guess I'll have to do this the hard way." With that, the self- proclaimed emissary took out a small golden rod. He spoke a word in a foreign tongue, and suddenly, Inuyasha and the gang were surrounded by a green glow. "This would have been easier if you had just come with me." Then, the green glow was extinguished and they all felt a wrenching on their entire bodies and suddenly found themselves in a crowded hall, with other confused looking people standing around. Many of them had on strange clothing, to Inuyasha's eyes at least, but some had the traditional dress of Japan.  
  
Inuyasha spied a man in a red kimono with a cross shaped scar on his face who looked like he knew what was going on.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" He yelled at the man, trying to get himself to be heard over the milling crowd.  
  
"I myself am not sure. I was taken from Tokyo just as I was having some tea. A strange man in black robes took me here, and I'm still wondering what's going on."  
  
"Well, thanks for nothing. And by the way, you look like a fucking pansy." With that, Inuyasha strode off, back to the rest of the group.  
  
Soon, a loud tone sounded. Silence shook the hall as everyone quieted, presumably to hear what was going on.  
  
"Thank you all for coming, although some of you were rather unwilling. I am Daren, the man who had you brought here. You are all here to fight for my amusement. I was wondering what would happen if someone ever took the greatest heroes and villains from the various dimensions, and now I shall find out. Some of you have been returned from the dead. Some of you have had their powers restricted to make the fights slightly fair. To make things interesting, you have all been assigned people to work with. You will find who you work with on the boards at the far ends of this hall. If you refuse to fight, you will be killed in a most painful fashion. If you defy me, you will die. Know now that you have no way to escape. There is no prize for winning. There is no option for failure. This is not the Dark Tournament, for those who know of its existence. It is only a fight." With those words, silence descended... 


End file.
